Debbie, it's a great letter. I'm just thinking maybe you'd be safer leaving out the details of your various rescued pets. Maybe just say you couldn't take them in because you already have the legal limit of happy, healthy, neutered, vaccinated and deeply loved pets, all of whom are former rescues just like these babies. That way, you wouldn't be calling undue attention to yourself in case you're over the limit, and you're not lying about anything (you DO have the legal limit, you just leave off the "and then some!"), and you're demonstrating by your own example what responsible pet ownership means.
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Debbie Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 2:49 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Opinions Needed This is a letter to the editor of our local paper concerning the kittens we found dumped over the weekend. My husband is afraid it will cause trouble if they print it with a name and town. What do you think? Myself, I doubt anyone will really pay attention. I am curious to know what you guys think. Thanks for the input. Debbie Dear Editor, On Sunday, May 27, Children's Home Bradford Rd., Greenville, someone pulled into a path in a field, north, a little ways off of 127. My husband and I were traveling to Lowe's and noticed this parked car and also kittens beside it. We thought "oh, they must be picking them up." We agreed we would come back the same route on the way home to make sure. Unfortunately, on the way back, we saw the kittens were still there. We pulled over and got out. One was lying squashed on the path, 2 snuggled up to the small lifeless body. Whoever dumped them must have run over one. Three more came waddling up out of the ditch. There were 6 total. We gathered the 5 left alive and placed them in our van. My husband was kind enough that he even picked up the dead baby kitten and placed it in a bag, later he buried it in our side yard. We had our 2 Labradors with us - one which my husband had found dumped outside Bradford around Christmas time. She was only 4-5 weeks old. The kittens looked to be around 4-5 weeks old. We knew we could not just leave them because they would never have survived on their own. We also knew that we would not really be able to take on anymore because we have 14 rescued ones already (7 were found in a trash dumpster outside a condo in Dayton). All now spayed, neutered, shots, etc. I called and left a message at the Darke County Humane Society telling them the whole story. We decided if worse came to worse we would keep them until they could be adopted out. Amazingly the Humane Society phoned the next day. They agreed to take the abandoned babies in. My husband and I would like to publicly thank them for that. We are so very grateful. The lady that picked them up had a nice clean carrier and bedding for them. As to the people who constantly abandon, abuse, etc.. animals. What is wrong with you? What gives you the right to take away life of any kind? It always amazes me that humans can be so cruel. Poor defenseless creatures left to die, no food, no shelter, no one to love them. Would you do this to your mother, your grandfather, your child? We seem to be becoming a "throw away society." If someone or something doesn't fit our idea of perfection or if taking care of them is "an inconvenience" - then we just dispose of it. Life to many, seems cheap. I recall I had a neighbor years ago that left his dog have pups year after year. His 2 little girls would love on them and play with them. Later the pups would disappear. I was told the father would take them out and shoot them. Of course you couldn't prove it, just like you couldn't prove that he also had his little girls drown kittens in their swimming pool. Wonderful lessons to teach our children, isn't it? Just like dumping 6 defenseless kittens in an area where there were no houses, no people, or food. How someone treats animals, in my opinion, is a reflection of how they treat others. It's sad to say that many people do not show a respect for life. I can only hope that the residents of Darke County will educate themselves and their children as to what "being a responsible pet owner" means. If each of us puts forth at least a little effort (and monetary support) we can help control the over population of cats and dogs and the unnecessary suffering they often times endure. For all those dollars we spend on lottery tickets, a pack of cigarettes, a six pack of beer, that new MP3 player, etc.surely we can spend some on a LIFE. Please consider donating to the local Humane Society or other animal welfare agencies. This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties.
